Disclaimer: You already know tho.
Fayt was walking among a sea of dark shadows, he saw the Time Gate behind him, but he wasn't on Planet Styx. Then he heard a large screeching sound and thousands of Convictors suddenly appeared in front of him. He brandished his swords and fought them off but he was soon drowning in a sea of them…then he awoke in his cabin.
He bolted upright and felt beads of sweat on his back and forehead, he looked around the dark cabin, Maria lay down next to him, calmly sleeping. The lump that was Maria slowly rose up and down as she inhaled and exhaled. Fayt brushed aside one of his hairs and observed Maria's peaceful face. He grabbed a cloth on his bedside and wiped the perspiration off his body and he looked at her intently and was amazed at how beautiful she looked.
Her porcelain skin, her nose which always scrunched up when she was mad at him, her silky-cerulean hair; everything about her seemed to be perfect in that moment. He tore his gaze away from her and lay back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.
When was it going to end? He wanted to just take Maria away to some habitable backwater planet and live there amongst the natives, where no one could find them. He hadn't had too many quality moments with her since the bloody struggle for the capital. His thoughts wandered back to their children. When they did have children he wanted to raise them on Earth, to grow up with people of their kind, but how would they expect to live normal lives? People may fear them or try to harm them, harm them in fear of them. And what kind of future would they have? They'd probably be even more powerful than either him or Maria, would they be condemned to protecting the universe? He didn't want them to grow up with the expectation to living up to a 'family name' as Alistair, Thomas, or Eric had.
Fayt thought about more things but soon found himself asleep once more and was being awoken by Maria a little later.
"Get up sleepy head, we're back outside Earth's orbit, we have a meeting with your Mother, Cliff, and Mirage later." Fayt groaned and fell back onto the bed. Fayt got up about a half an hour, much in part due to Maria's further scolding. He groggily brought himself to the bathroom and looked at himself.
He still looked pretty much the same, but his arms seemed more defined, his face more angular than before and he was starting to grow a beard. Hmm blue 5o'clock shadow…Fayt thought bemusedly as he turned the water on and ran his razor through the stream of water to wet the blade. Fayt wet his hair and began to comb it back, slicking it back. He curiously peered around the room to locate his clothes, but found that he forgot it on the bed.
He carefully lifted the finely pressed beige uniform, and put the clothes on, they felt tight in some places, but Fayt thought he was looking pretty sharp. He straightened the high collars and adjusted the colorful badges adorned on his chest; he sighed and made for the bridge. He passed by numerous soldiers on the bridge, all saluting him as they saw him.
Man a lot of these guys are older than me…I can't believe all these men answer to me. Fayt soon reached the bridge and the door slid open mechanically, the officers acknowledged his presence with a salute or modest greeting of 'captain'. He sat in his Captain's Chair, next to Maria and gave her a quick smile as he sat down.
"Glad to see you finally up," she muttered from behind a datapad.
"Hello, Good morning Fayt, how are you? Splendid, thank you honey, and yourself?" he asked with a grin. She scoffed at him and blew a raspberry, "What are you reading?"
"Various economic journals and articles surrounding Galactic Council politics, just to brush up on current events so I'm not lost once we engage in this game of politics we love and know."
"Anything new? Anyone we know?"
"Well Mirage just passed a new Trade Bill, you're mother has also passed a new education reform bill, and Cliff was apparently spotted with an intern a couple nights ago."
"Uh-what? I thought he and Mirage were back together?"
"Yeah…Cliff had commitment issues." Fayt sighed and thanked his assistant as he was brought a cup of coffee. "Any news on Alistair?" he asked grimly, hoping for a negative response.
"Thankfully..no. The galaxy seems pretty quiet right now, however the star systems which refused to join the Galactic Council have been reportedly interacting frequently as of late. However, they aren't mobilizing against us which is good." Fayt nodded and looked about for Albel and Nel, nowhere to be found…probably still asleep.
The pilot motioned to Fayt that they were getting a transmission from HQ. "Patch them through."
A big and blond muscular man appeared on screen. "Well who the heck do you guys think you are?"
"Cliff cut the act," Maria said sternly.
"Seriously who are you guys? You're ship isn't registered in our mainframe, prepare to be decimated," the man said seriously as his face disappeared from the screen.
"He's kidding right…?" Fayt asked Maria, who just shrugged.
"Sir! We've been locked onto by multiple orbital cannons! They are charging their weapons! They are about to fire!"
"What?" Fayt cried. Fayt was about to blow up the cannons that had locked onto them then suddenly Fayt heard the bridge door slide open and then the cockpit was enveloped in gray smoke.
"What the-," Fayt coughed, shielding his face.
"Stay put you are all FUCKED!" a voice cried. Fayt felt a sword put to his back and he heard muffled screams all around him. He looked around for Maria but couldn't find her.
"Well Fayt Leingod, you have just been captured by the great, AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the voice cried out.
"Really Cliff?" Maria asked as Fayt saw two blue lights to his right flicker and the grey smoke faded. Fayt looked to face his aggressor and a sniggering Albel looked at him and shrugged. Nel was standing above the pilot who was curled into a fetal position, and then he saw Cliff standing right in front of him, with a look on his face which said…'oh'.
"General Fittir, may I ask why you attempted to sack my crew?" Fayt asked coolly.
"Uhhhhhhh, come on guys if you think about it, this is a really funny situation…"
"Yeah I think its pretty humorous you worms!" Albel cried breaking out in hysterical laughter.
"How exactly…?" Maria asked.
"W-Well, come on guys it's a joke! We haven't seen each other in a long time and I just thought a practical joke would lighten the mood! And besides I gotta let my subordinates know that I mean business," he said confidently as he punched his palm, his customary gesture.
Fayt and Maria were silent, then Maria began to fold her cuffs back and began to count. "3….2…" she counted simply.
"C-come on you guys it was a joke," Cliff hopelessly pleaded with Fayt.
"Sorry buddy, I wouldn't dream getting in her way," Fayt said, shaking his head.
"It was Albel's idea!"
"Fool!" he cried and unsheathed his katana.
"I-It was Nel's plan!" Cliff cried frantically.
"You're dead."
"It was Mirage's….?"
"Run," Maria said deathly.
"Mommy," Cliff whimpered and ran off the bridge to the nether-regions of the ship, then the three of them-Nel, Maria, and Albel ran after the poor guy. Fayt laughed and shook his head as a new figure appeared on the screen, his mother.
"Fayt, why haven't you docked yet?"
Fayt laughed, "Uh our Grand General got side tracked, President Leingod can you grant us access to dock?"
His mother nodded and gave them clearance. "See you in a bit son," as she blew him a kiss." Fayt blushed as he heard a couple of his officers snigger. Fayt stuck his tongue out at his crew, he laughed with them as he exited the bridge. I am gonna miss this ship and crew for awhile he sadly thought of his plans of trying to lead a 'normal' life. He shook his head, he had to do it, he needed a break from the fighting. He had lost count of the number of lives he had taken and couldn't bear to think about it.
He knew it would be tough to break it to his mom, but it was a decision he was confident about he wanted to spend time with Maria and more importantly pursue a future career, he couldn't fight for the remainder of his life. His feet had finally brought him to the hangar where Cliff's shuttle and Sophia's luxury cruiser stood in front of him. The rest of the crew had already piled into the shuttle he was about to enter it, but Maria called to him.
He spun around and saw her walking at a brisk pace toward him, her hair tight in a bun. "Making a choice?" she asked as she pointed to the two ships, as if reading his mind. "No, just waiting for you, to make the correct decision together," he said as he tightly grasped her hand. She smiled and they boarded the ship. Fayt and Maria took a seat towards the back, and Maria laid her head on his shoulder and he smiled.
Cliff turned around as the ship lifted off, "Awww thooo cuteee!" he said in a baby voice.
Maria's head lifted off Fayt's shoulder and shot Cliff a death stare, which silenced him, as she replaced her head in its previous spot. Fayt exhaled as the ship entered Earth's atmosphere. Last time he had been here he came as a conqueror. His heart leapt when he saw the beautiful ocean which ran for miles on end, seagulls soaring in the distance, and the tremulous waves crashing and forming.
The Earth seemed to be brighter than the last time he was here; he couldn't tell if it was a psychological effect, with the absence of the Wise Men. They soon loomed upon New York City, now known as the Federal City. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and was as blue as Fayt's head. The tall skyscrapers and the hovercars populated the skies, and the Statue of Liberty stood as proud and tall as before. Somehow it had escaped harm during the previous invasions. To the left he spotted the Planetary Defense Building, a domed structure with a long cannon extending into the heavens, the Federal Tower next to it and the Council building in its solitary and regal majesty 40 miles to the west.
The shuttle entered the city's limits and Fayt looked on in wonder at the tall spires of the buildings, and the bustling activity, he had missed his home. Maria was similarly speechless as she had lived away from Earth for most of her life. "I've only read about modern architecture, but I'd like to see modern cities such as Tokyo, Beijing, Rome…If it's anything as beautiful as these structures…" she said, her voice fading.
Their shuttle was close to the Federal Tower now; the entire Federal Square had been repaired since and had been heavily fortified since then. The entire complex was now shielded by the same symbological shielding they had given to their soldiers. However, on a much bigger scale, Maria had designed it with the help of Fayt's mother, and could withstand multiple bombardments from even 4D enemies.
The shuttle had to wait for clearance before the force field was lowered and the shuttle touched down in an empty lot next to ground artillery vehicles. Their crew exited the ship and Fayt smiled as he took a breath of fresh Earth air.
Maria took a breath and frowned. "What's wrong Maria?" Fayt asked.
"Well I just noticed the concentration of Nitrogen and Oxygen molecules, now that I am more attuned with my alteration gene," Fayt sighed and shook his head. He just didn't know what to say when she got too technical.
Albel sniffed at the air, "Smells fine to me you fool." Maria shot him a dirty glance but Fayt snickered in the background as they made their way to the Federal Tower. As they passed through the front glass doors the group looked around to examine the ongoing repairs that were transpiring even after 6 months since they had recaptured the city. They surrendered their weapons momentarily as they passed through security.
They were in the large atrium of the Federal Tower, substantial amounts of sunlight poked into the atrium because all the walls were made entirely of glass which gave the place a very modern feel. Fayt examined a new addition to the atrium, a fountain with a large transluscent sphere set in the middle, from which the water spouted. Golden rings encompassed the sphere and a small inscription could be read on the fountain.
It read: 'In honor of those that sacrificed their lives for the Eternal Sphere. We are in debt to their souls, for their sacrifice for the Star Ocean'. He smiled and was sure it had been his mother's doing. He was glad that she hadn't explicitly named Fayt or his companions. Maria beckoned for him to catch up as they piled into the elevator which took them to the top floor.
Fayt adjusted his collar and cuffs, Maria straightened her suit, and the rest did the same. By some faint miracle, they had gotten Albel to wear a military uniform, which involved a couple sedatives…long story short, he didn't dress quietly. The elevator creaked to a stop and there was a high pitched 'ding' and a cool voice announced their arrival at the top floor.
Fayt lead the way out and entered the Presidential Office, with a single desk towards the windows, piled with papers upon it, and a large armchair behind it, facing away from them. The chair swiveled toward them and a middle-aged lady with blue hair sat comfortably upon it, with half-moon spectacles, reading a very important-looking file. Her eyes shifted from the file to them and seemed to analyze each and every one of them.
"So you are all back in one piece," she said seriously. They nodded in the affirmative, she clapped her hands and then chairs and a long table materialized on front of them. They were all immensely impressed, and took their respective seats.
"Commanders Leingod and Traydor, I would like your respective accounts of the events that have transpired since you're departure," she said, in the same serious tone. Fayt began to explain about their encounter on Rylen, their first encounter with the Executioners. Albel interjected into the story, plugging in gaps which Fayt had not been present for. Maria shared her account with Maverick and his 'horse-play' with the princess. Then they finished up with their most recent adventure on Styx, and gave her the unabridged story about Alistair. Sophia wrapped things up with her recent negotiations, and how they had been, for the most part, successful.
"Hmm. Interesting, I do not have further intel on the matter for now. Alistair's loss was a tremendous blow right Cliff?"
"Yes m'am. You see we were about to promote him to Admiral, Admiral Hermes, who directed the fleet during Luther's attack not Lucifer's, is getting up there in age. And clearly, he failed to address the matter at the time, although he did his best given the circumstances. Once the Eternal Sphere was re-programmed we decided we needed to give Hermes a good 'retirement package' so to speak. We wanted to promote a young officer with experience, and Alistair was the first choice, after well Fayt or Maria of course," Cliff ended, the pair frowned at each other.
"Yes, so that is a minor setback that will be addressed quickly, as we reconsider our candidates. Concerning politics, the governmental structure has developed quite well and we have smoothed out trade agreements, various laws, educational standards,etc. Mirage has been quite excellent on the Defense Council and she has been a highly valuable correspondent. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it today because of her various duties," Mrs. Leingod said and looked at the rest of her notes, thinking of other points she wanted to touch upon.
"Right then, advancing to the 4D issue. So Fayt you said you all defeated the 'Creator' once and for all. But, we have bigger issues as the 4D government now has jurisdiction of the Eternal Sphere?"
"That is correct President Leingod. And given our limited information on the 4D governmental infrastructure, it is like fighting an enemy in the dark. We now know that they can't just wipe us out or delete us all in one fell swoop. They have to work internally within the Eternal Sphere, and kill us using means that exist within our dimension. But we don't know whether 4D space is on a planet or if it is just space that extends infinitely. We don't know if other intelligent life forms exist."
"Right. Well that means infiltration of 4D space and procuring further data will be necessary," Ryoko Leingod mumbled and typed a note to herself. Fayt shifted uneasily in his chair, that would require Maria's involvement. Fayt peered out the window and got lost in the clear blue sky as his mother corresponded with the rest of his companions.
"Alright, that is about it," Cliff said as they all got up to leave. The majority had left the room but Maria and Fayt hung back and Fayt's mom kept her eyes trained on the datapad in front of her and typed away furiously. Her eyes darted upwards and could be seen behind her spectacles she raised her eyebrow.
"Is there something else you needed from me Commanders?"
"Yeah mom…there's something really important we need to talk about."
Mrs. Leingod leaned back in her chair, stared blankly at them for a second, then smiled widely, "You've decided on a date then! Good we have to start planning immediately!"
"No, Mrs. Leingod we haven't decided on a date!" Maria exclaimed as her cheeks flushed a hot pink. Mrs. Leingod's smile vanished and looked puzzled.
"Mom…I-we, we wanted some time off from the job."
"I see. Good, I thought you'd never ask, as you're mother I do worry about you you know. And I know I am an in exalted position now and that we often refer to each other very objectively, but I still love you son, both of you," she said, as tears began to form in her eyes. Maria seemed taken aback, and quickly rushed to her and embraced her.
"I know I demanded a lot from the two of you, but I just thought you needed to work and though I'd- I don't know, I;ve been extremely foolish."
"No mom it's just—we love what we do! We have powers—powers that others lack and we have a responsibility to use them for the benefit of others. And besides I promised the Galactic Council; the Universe that I would ensure peace and stability to this developing association. But, Me and Maria, we're still human mom. We want to be normal, be with each other, spend time with one another…with our friends and family. We've both really wanted to go back to school lately—you know develop professional careers…besides swinging swords and shooting guns. We've been uncovering new mysteries with our genes and believe we could really do some great things and benefit others in a different way!"
Ryoko Leingod removed her glasses and looked upon her son and beamed, she looked at Maria and smiled, "You two have become more than Robert or I ever imagined. Not only have you become extremely powerful and justified our atrocities. But you have both matured into responsible individuals," she sniffled then replaced her glasses. "What kind of mother would I be to deny you to go to school," she asked smiling.
"I love you mom," Fayt said and hugged her. Maria hugged her too.
"You're gonna be a wonderful daughter-in-law," she whispered. She stood up and dispelled the rest of her tears and smiled, "I always wanted a daughter you know? Robert was ecstatic when Fayt popped out, but I've always wanted a little girl"
Maria laughed, "I've lacked a mother-figure my whole life. I-I could use one, although, I'm not so little anymore," Maria said, struggling to keep a straight face.
"Fayt got lucky, to have such a beautiful girl, don't mess it up," she scolded at him. ."
Fayt scratched his head, "I don't know if it's really luck mom, I mean we have technically known each other since birth."
Fayt's mom shrugged, "Well at any rate I'm glad you chose her," she gasped and clasped a hand to her mouth.
"Chose?"
"Well I mean, alright well for the longest time I feared you would choose Sophia…"
"Mom! This is really awkward now…" Fayt said, at a loss for words.
Maria simply laughed, "So this is what family is like?"
Fayt shrugged, "Yup, people you share awkward moments with that become acceptable. Oh and people to embarrass you."
Mrs. Leingod laughed, "You just wait Fayt till I break out the baby pictures." She rummaged through her pocket and threw Fayt a set of keys. It was a small circular black remote control with a badge of a horse and yellow background.
"No way," Fayt whispered.
"What is it?" Maria asked.
"You know where the apartment is right, the penthouse suite we used to go to when we stayed here in the Federal City? There are some leftovers in the fridge and I'll be home by 8," she said sweetly and returned to her desk and continued her work.
"No freaking way."
"What is it!" Maria hissed as she peered at the small remote control that seemed to be the key of a transport vehicle of some sort
Fayt smiled and grabbed her hand, "I'll show you. Looks like I won't be driving the Station Hover Craft to school anymore huh mom?"
"Consider it a…early wedding gift,' she shrugged and waved goodbye.
"It's gonna be fun driving to school," he said giddily as Maria followed him with a confused expression.
They exited the room and then found their companions waiting for them, Nel approached first and asked, "What's up guys, what did you need to talk about in private with Fayt's mom?"
Cliff jumped up, "No way…" he whispered, with a giddy expression on his face.
Maria shook her head, "No we haven't set a date, guys we have to tell you something. Fayt and I are planning to take a break from all this chaos."
Cliff, Nel and Maria seemed surprised but Sophia merely nodded, "I understand, I'm going back to school too, whilst retaining my ambassador position."
"B-But Fayt, how am I gonna survive this job here? You and Maria were two of my best Commanders," Cliff refuted.
"Cliff, I'm sorry but you'll find a way to cope I'm sure, and we'll still be here whenever you need us!" Maria replied.
"You weaklings!" Albel spat and stormed off.
"Albel!" Nel responded furiously. "Look I'm sure he's just upset, but seriously are you two sure? Especially with Alistair jumping ship and the impending 4D threat…"
"Look guys, we have to do this. We are still young and to be honest we've done so much already for this new galactic order, we just need to slow down the pace. I didn't forget about you guys either! You all can return to Elicoor for awhile if you need a break…"
That weakened Nel's resolve as she peered out the window and a wave of nostalgia flushed over her. "Hmm that doesn't sound bad, and Albel and I could use it."
"Exactly, we could all use a break," said Fayt.
"Alright, but then who's gonna look after Maverick and his gang? I can't have them upsetting the galactic stability we are trying to establish by having another incident," Cliff argued.
"Ahem you mean like banging the college intern," Maria replied.
Cliff shut up and put a wide grin on his face, "Best of luck to your studies!" he responded sweetly and shook their hands.
"Look its temporary, Fayt and I just think that we need to step out of the picture for a while, but we'll always be around should the need arise."
They all nodded and then Nel broke the silence, "Come on guys let's go find Albel." They found their 'Prince of Darkness' brooding in the atrium, leaning against a wall.
"Albel, what's up, why'd you get so angry?" Fayt asked.
"You worms are running away from the fighting." Fayt remained silent and knew there had to be a more pressing issue.
"It's just, you maggots taught me well values of companionship and team…teamwork…and Leingod, I hate to admit it but you are one powerful son of a bitch. And all this time I've been following you're leadership, where do I go from here?"
Fayt was stunned at the response he had elicited from Albel, he was about to answer but Nel said, "Albel I think it's a good idea for us to take a break too. We've been away from home for so long…and you seem to have lost yourself. Just as you are lost now and need to find your path, Fayt has to do this…to find his."
"We all need to find our individual paths," Maria said, "We've been together for so long we have taken for granted each other's company. We need this guys, and once we have found ourselves, we'll come back even better than before." Fayt extended a hand to Albel who seemed reluctant to grasp it at first, but to Fayt's surprise, he smiled and gave him a firm handshake.
That evening they conversed, reflected, drank…a lot and then said their goodbyes the forthcoming day. It would be a while before they were re-united again, but they needed time to find themselves, past what they were as a unit. Together, they were the saviors of the universe, but since then they hadn't had time to see how much they had grown individually. However, they couldn't be separated forever because great friends have eternal bonds between them that somehow pull them all back together.
And the Eternal Sphere would need their heroes once again…
Thanks for reading guys!